"Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land"
The Book of Boba Fett episode
Promotional poster featuring David Pasquesi as Mok Shaiz's Majordomo.
Episode no.Episode 1
Directed byRobert Rodriguez
Written byJon Favreau
Produced byJon Favreau
Cinematography byDavid Klein
Editing byJeff Seibenick
Original release dateDecember 29, 2021 (2021-12-29)
Running time37 minutes
Co-starring

"Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land" is the premiere episode of the American streaming television series The Book of Boba Fett. It follows Boba Fett and Fennec Shand attempting to gain control of Jabba the Hutt's criminal empire after his death in Return of the Jedi (1983). The episode is set in the Star Wars universe, sharing continuity with The Mandalorian and other spin-offs such as Ahsoka. It was written by the series' showrunner Jon Favreau and directed by Robert Rodriguez.

Temuera Morrison reprises his role as Fett from the second season of The Mandalorian, with Daniel Logan appearing as a younger version and Ming-Na Wen joining him as Fennec Shand. Matt Berry, David Pasquesi, and Jennifer Beals also star. Filming began in November 2020 and concluded in June 2021. "Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land" was released on Disney+ on December 29, 2021 to generally positive reviews.

Plot

In present day Tatooine, Boba Fett has a dream about his past. While inside a Sarlacc[lower-alpha 1] Fett struggles within its digestive system. He retrieves an oxygen unit from the armor of a swallowed Stormtrooper before punching a hole through the sarlacc's gut and firing a flamethrower, creating a hole in which he escapes the creature. A weakened Fett climbs out of the Great Pit of Carkoon and is left for dead by Jawas who steal his Mandalorian armor and jetpack. Later, a group of Tusken Raiders stumble upon the unconscious Fett and drag him through the sands to their encampment. That night, Fett awakens, bound to a wooden post, seated nearby a red Rodian. Fett manages to untie his ropes and attempts to escape, but the Rodian cries, alerting the rest of the Tusken clan. Fett tries to run but fails to escape the Tuskens. The next day, Fett and the Rodian are forced to dig for black melons in the desert until they are attacked by a large sand creature that kills the Rodian. Fett kills the creature, saving a Tusken child. The tribe's chieftain gives a black melon to Fett.

Five years later,[1] in Fett’s palace on Tatooine,[lower-alpha 2] Fennec Shand wakes Fett up in his Bacta Pod and they travel with their two new Gamorrean bodyguards to a Mos Espa cantina, where Max Rebo and a Bith are performing. An astromech droid asks why they are here, and Shand tells him that they have business with Madam Garsa Fwip. Fett allows two Twi'leks to clean their helmets while they wait for Fwip. Fwip welcomes them to the Sanctuary and Fett introduces Shand and informs her that he has replaced Bib Fortuna as daimyo of Tatooine. He then introduces himself and reassures her that her business will continue under his watchful eye. Fwip thanks him for personally traveling to The Sanctuary, saying he is always welcome and has Twi’leks return their helmets with Fett’s being filled with credits as tribute.

The two are then ambushed by six crimson-clad figures from the Order of the Night Wind, armed with plasma pikes and energy shields. The Night Wind assassins surround the two in a circle and a fight ensues, with Fett and Shand barely holding their own before the Gamorreans come to their aid, breaking the circle, and allowing Fett and Shand to regain the upper hand. They dispatch three of the attackers and lead the other three to attempt to escape. Fett fires a rocket at one, disintegrating the attacker. The other two climb to the rooftops, and are pursued by Shand, retrieving her helmet on the way. Before leaving, Fett tells Shand to capture them alive. Shand catches up and disarms them, knocking one off the rooftop to his death and capturing the other. The Gamorreans bring Fett back to the palace and into his Bacta Pod.

Production

Development

A feature film focusing on the character had been in development since 2013, but was canceled in 2018 with Lucasfilm prioritizing The Mandalorian instead.[2] In May 2020, the character was announced to be appearing in the show’s second season.[3][4] The show’s finale featured an end credits sequence which confirmed a spin-off series titled The Book of Boba Fett, set for release in December 2021. Robert Rodriguez, who had also directed Chapter 14 of The Mandalorian directed this episode.[5] Series creator and showrunner Jon Favreau wrote the episode.[6]

Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian's creator and showrunner, soon clarified that The Book of Boba Fett was a series separate from the third season of The Mandalorian. He explained that the spin-off was not announced by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy at the Investor Day event because they did not want to "spoil the surprise" of the reveal at the end of the episode. He added that production had already begun on the spin-off.[7]

Casting

With the series' official announcement in December 2020, Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen were confirmed to be reprising their respective roles of Boba Fett and Fennec Shand from The Mandalorian and other previous Star Wars media.[8] Also starring is Matt Berry as 8D8, a torture droid in Fett's service, David Pasquesi as the Twi'lek majordomo to Mok Shaiz, and Jennifer Beals, who was revealed to have a role in November 2020,[9] as Garsa Fwip. Other appearances include Dawn Dininger as a Rodian prisoner, Barry Lowin as Garfalaquox, Frank Trigg and Collin Hymes as Gamorrean guards, and Paul Darnell as a Night Wind assassin.[10]

Director Rodriguez appears as Dokk Strassi and Mok Shaiz, while Xavier Jimenez, Wesley Kimmel, and Joanna Bennett star as the Tusken chief, kid, and warrior, respectively. Daniel Logan appears as a younger Fett, reprising his role from Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and The Clone Wars (2008) television series.[10]

Filming

Filming for the series began in late November 2020,[8][11] on the StageCraft video wall volume in Los Angeles that was previously used for the first two seasons of The Mandalorian.[12]

Music

Joseph Shirley composed the musical score for the episode, while Ludwig Göransson composed the main theme of the series. The featured tracks were released on January 21, 2022, in the first volume of the season one soundtrack.[13]

Reception

The episode received positive reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 82% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 6.60/10. The website’s critic’s consensus states, "'Stranger in a Strange Land' could use more propulsion to properly open up The Book of Boba Fett, but its lean summary of the bounty hunter's history provides some clarity without diminishing his mystique."[14]

At the 74th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, the episode was nominated for Outstanding Fantasy/Sci-Fi Costumes.[15]

Notes

  1. ↑ As depicted in Return of the Jedi (1983).
  2. ↑ The palace came in possession of Fett after killing Bib Fortuna in The Mandalorian episode "Chapter 16: The Rescue".

References

  1. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (December 29, 2021). "The Book of Boba Fett's first chapter has a lot of blank pages". TheVerge.com. Vox Media. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  2. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 26, 2018). "'Star Wars' Boba Fett Movie No Longer In Development; Lucasfilm Focusing On 'The Mandalorian' Streaming Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 18, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  3. ↑ Couch, Aaron; Kit, Borys (May 8, 2020). "'The Mandalorian': Temuera Morrison Returns to 'Star Wars' Universe to Play Boba Fett". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  4. ↑ Thorne, Will (December 4, 2020). "'The Mandalorian': Has Boba Fett Got His Mojo Back? And More Burning Questions From 'The Tragedy'". Variety. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  5. ↑ Weston, Christopher (December 30, 2021). "Who directed The Book of Boba Fett? Six directors explored". HITC. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  6. ↑ "The Book of Boba Fett – Episodes". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  7. ↑ Burgos, Jenzia (February 11, 2021). "'The Mandalorian' Season 3 Is Coming, But One Actor Won't Be Returning to the Show". StyleCaster. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  8. 1 2 Mitovitch, Matt (December 21, 2020). "Boba Fett Series Confirmed as a Mandalorian Spinoff; Pedro Pascal Will Be Back as Mando for Season 3". TVLine. Archived from the original on December 21, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  9. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (November 1, 2021). "'The Book Of Boba Fett': Jennifer Beals Casting Revealed By Disney+ Series Trailer". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Kinsley, Forest (December 29, 2021). "The Book of Boba Fett Cast Guide: Every New & Returning Star Wars Character". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
  11. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (November 5, 2020). "The Mandalorian Eyes Season 3 Production Start As Spinoff, Casting & Boba Fett Buzz Heats Up". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  12. ↑ Lane, Carly (June 9, 2021). "Exclusive: Here's When The Mandalorian Season 3 Is Filming; New Details on Book of Boba Fett Connection". Collider. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  13. ↑ "The Book of Boba Fett: Vol. 1 (Chapters 1-4) [Original Soundtrack]". Apple Music. January 21, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  14. ↑ "The Book of Boba Fett: Season 1 Episode 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  15. ↑ "2022 Creative Arts Emmys: See full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. September 4, 2022. Archived from the original on September 5, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
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